The color blue in poultry has caught my eye since I was a 10 year old boy. The illustrations of Blue Andalusians in books and magazines from the early 80’s were beautiful and I was excited to raise some of my own. So I ordered some chicks from a hatchery, but was soon disappointed as they grew, when they did not look like the illustrations. I often wondered if the beautiful pigeon blue with sharp black lacing really existed, having only seen it in paintings and illustrations. I raised poultry for most of my childhood, but drifted away from poultry after high school, as life went in many new directions.
My journey with the Blue Ameraucana started in 2010, as I returned to the poultry world after many years. After raising several breeds, I settled on the Ameraucana. I really liked the body type, the muffs and beard, and of course the blue eggs! Determined to learn as much and as quickly as I could, I searched for local breeders and joined the breed club. There I made new friends and discovered a wealth of information on breeding and genetics.
As I searched the forums and websites, I noticed that the pictures of Blue Ameraucana did not have any lacing. In fact, most other breeds with a blue variety were missing the lacing. After talking with a few well known breeders, I decided to take on the challenge of bringing in the required genetics to breed a Blue Ameraucana with true lacing. So I went straight to the source… The Blue Andalusian, the standard for the color Blue in every other breed!
Finding quality Blue Andalusians was a challenge in itself. I eventually ordered some chicks from a well-known breeder and raised them up to breeding age. I selected the Blue Andalusians with the best lacing and crossed them to my best typed Blue Ameraucana.
The F1 crosses were very promising. They had good lacing, but terrible type, which was expected. They were bred back to the best typed Blue Ameraucana, and the F2’s were bred together. Hybrid vigor was helpful with egg production and breeding, but it only lasts for a generation or two. That’s why it’s important to balance your breeder selection between physical quality and productivity.
Breeding them back to good Ameraucana type has been a challenge, as it takes several generations for the blood to “settle” from a cross. Andalusian type is a long way from Ameraucana type. The biggest struggles have been the long backs in both sexes and pinched tails in the females. White ear lobes are also an issue and they still pop up in a few every year.
The genetics revolving around the interaction between true lacing and “edging” are cloudy at best, but there is something dominant related to edging that keeps popping up as well. It is important to breed only from the best laced birds. Lacing can be lost in a few generations if you don’t select your breeders carefully.
A good breeding plan is essential for a long term project. You can find yourself at a dead end if you’re not careful. A project of this magnitude is not a sprint. It is a marathon that will last for many, many years. After all, are we ever really satisfied? Keep striving for Perfection!
